Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms

Saxons & Jutes of Southern England

Suth Seaxe (South Saxons / Sussex)Incorporating the Hæstingas

Three entries in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle associate the transition from
British to Saxon authority of the south coast of England with the exploits
of a chieftain named Ælle. The entries are evidently derived from a lost saga
recalling the more memorable events in a career of conquest that, however
short-lived, made Ælle the first Bretwalda
of the Anglo-Saxons.

In AD 477, a Saxon
group under the leadership of Ælle traditionally landed at Cymensora
or Cumenesora (a location probably represented by the Owers Banks,
off the low-lying Selsey peninsula and now submerged beneath the sea),
and beat off the defending Britons there. These Saxons then settled around
the area of Selsey Bill (between Kent and Portsmouth on the south coast),
and were isolated by The Weald from the British territories that still
operated to the north (although only for a short time, as the Saxons of the
Suther-ge were already making
inroads along the Thames).

The
South Saxons were probably major players in the defeat of Mons Badonicus
(circa 496), with Ælle quite reasonably leading the attacking forces as
Bretwalda. Such is Ælle's authority from the moment he arrived that it is possible
he was a recognised person of authority from the European homelands. However, the
defeat may have lost him his kingdom, either immediately or soon afterwards,
as no further mention is made of it and no Saxon burials are found there for
another century. Whatever their political situation, the South Saxons who
may have remained in the area were isolated until the kingdom's re-emergence in the
mid-seventh century.

A separate band, known as the Hæstingas, settled around what later became
Hastings. Little is known about them, although they may have been Jutes from
Kent. They eventually become
subject to the authority of the South Saxons, but their identity remained a
strong one well into the eleventh century. Other South Saxon elements may
have drifted west to join Jutish groups in forming the original
West Seaxe who were subjugated
by the Gewissae under Cerdic from 495.

(Information on late sub-kings of Sussex by David Slaughter, and in general
from The Oxford History of England: The English Settlements, J N L
Meyers.)

Newly arrived
Saxons
under Ælle and his sons, Cymen, Wlencing, and Cissa, land at
Cymens ora and beat off the
Britons who oppose their landing (part of the
proposed British kingdom of
Rhegin),
driving them to take refuge in the great forest called Andredesleag (the
Weald). These Saxons quickly become known as the Suth Seaxe.

This map of Rhegin for about AD 477 shows the principle British
settlements

485

The Suth Seaxe defeat the
Britons at Mearcraedes burna (modern location unknown).
The name of the location has been plausibly interpreted to mean 'the stream
of the agreed frontier'. It may therefore relate to a boundary based on one
of the river valleys which serve to divide the Sussex coastal plain and its
hinterland into naturally self-contained sections. There is, however, no
means of knowing which valley was so called in early
Saxon times, but it
seems to suggest a temporary frontier between Briton and Saxon.

It is interesting to note that the Suth Seaxe turn eastwards, along the line
of the Weald, rather than westwards into the fertile open plains of
Hampshire. It suggests that this section of the Saxon Shore is comparably
easy to pick off (although it still takes Ælle fourteen years to achieve
this). Could Ambrosius Aurelianus be defending Hampshire from
Caer Gloui and Amesbury with a much
stronger force that is capable of annihilating Ælle's still small force?

491

The
British fort of Anderita (Saxon Andredesceaster, modern Pevensey
in East Sussex) is attacked and conquered by Ælle and Cissa and its entire garrison is
slaughtered by the Suth Seaxe in what must be a desperate fight. This
seems to end any British opposition in the region.

Noviomagus (Regnum), the possible capital of the proposed British kingdom of
Rhegin (situated on the western border of the newly founded Saxon territory),
is left highly vulnerable by this loss. It seems that it is partially
destroyed during the completion of Ælle's conquest of the area (and probably
falls to the Suth Seaxe, or at least becomes tributary to them).

c.496

This
is the probable date of
the battle of Mons Badonicus, in which Ælle, as
Bretwalda, attacks the
Britons in the region of
Caer Baddan. His force is defeated by the Britons. The Suth Seaxe must suffer heavy
casualties as they are so weakened that they now drift into obscurity for around 150
years. British Rhegin
quite possibly reasserts its independence, although an event in 501 recorded
in the annals of the West Seaxe probably
signals its final end.

Ælle's route is probably northwards towards the
Thames Valley to build up his
forces from the large numbers of
Saxons there (along with a probable force
from Kent), and then westwards along the
upper Thames Valley until he emerges through the Goring Gap. It seems
creditable to assume that the north-facing Wansdyke, constructed in the
fifth or sixth centuries, has been put up by British forces in Wiltshire in the
face of just such a threat of Saxons breaking through from the Thames
Valley. It may either have been constructed to ward off this very attack
(and perhaps channel the attackers towards Badon), or in response to it, to
ensure that no future attacks of this nature could take place. In that it
is very effective, until the West Seaxe
break through in 577.

514? - 567

Cissa?

Son.

after 523? - 563

Wine?

Co-ruling ealdorman.

c.514 - c.550

Following the
Roman
withdrawal, the former capital of
Rhegin, Noviomagus, has declined but has
remained occupied. Now the rebuilding of the town is begun by Cissa, although
its old name is forgotten in favour of that of its new ruler, becoming
Cisseceaster (Cissa's fort, modern Chichester).

c.514 - c.600

Loss
of the kingdom to the
Britons? The Suth Seaxe lose their prominence and
are not mentioned in any records until the middle of the seventh century.
Following Badon, strong Jutish influences from
Kent enter the land, suggesting
an extension of Kentish rule over the eastern parts of the territory, but
the Suth Seaxe remain very isolated.

The later 'kings' do not claim descent from any of Ælle's sons. The
possibility is that the royal family was largely destroyed and did not
survive Cissa (if he even existed). A century and a half later, other
families had risen to prominence and it is from these that the kings are
selected. Unfortunately, no authentic king list remains. Even the kings
themselves ruled in groups of three or four at a time, with power
being shared equally and indivisibly between then.

607

The
West Seaxe
under Ceolwulf fight a campaign against the Suth Seaxe. The result is
unrecorded, suggesting either defeat for the invaders or a stalemate
unworthy of recording.

The first reference to Æthelwalh is in the same
year that Wulfhere of
Mercia gains hegemony over the kingdom. It has been suggested that Æthelwalh
himself is a younger son of Cynegils of the
West Seaxe, although how he
comes to be made king is unknown. He is obliged to marry Eafe, daughter of
the Christian King Eanfrith of the
Hwicce and accept baptism.

675

The Meonware
and the Isle of Wight
are ceded to the Suth Seaxe by
Mercia, sealing the alliance
between the two kingdoms after Æthelwalh's baptism. This is part of
Wulfhere's policy of encircling and pressuring the
West Seaxe. This event also
marks the re-emergence of the Suth Seaxe after two centuries of complete
obscurity.

c.675 - c.685

Ecgwald

Sub-king.

680/681

Following Æthelwalh's conversion, the
Suth Seaxe people are converted to
Christianity by Bishop Wilfred of
Northumbria,
rather later than much of the rest of Anglo-Saxon
England.

685

Æthelwalh is killed by Caedwalla of the
West Seaxe and the kingdom is
plundered before Berhthun and Andhun can drive him off. It is these two
ealdormen who no doubt lead the Suth Seaxe attack against Kent
later in the same year.

c.685 - c.688

Berhthun

Ealdorman.

c.685 - c.688

Andhun

Ealdorman.

685

Eadric of Kent, bitter that his
uncle holds what he sees as 'his' throne, betrays the king by making an
alliance with the Suth Seaxe. He encourages them to attack Kent, possibly
using as a carrot the somewhat disputed settlement of the
Jutish
Hæstingas (in the modern Hastings area, to which they have migrated from
the Isle of Oxney region in Kent). The Suth Seaxe also appear to be sympathetic to
Mercia (or perhaps even allied to them), while Kent's sympathies lie
with the West Seaxe, so the
attack is also part of the larger sweep of political manoeuvring in
England.
Hlothere is killed in the ensuing battle but the Suth Seaxe appear not to
gain from the victory.

c.686 - 726

The
Suth Seaxe are
subjugated by the West Seaxe.
Caedwalla kills Berhthun, gaining revenge for the ealdorman driving him out
of the territory in 685.

fl 692 - 717

Nothelm / Nunna

Son of Ecgwald? Nunna is the
shortened form of Nothelm.

fl c.692 - c.700

Wattus / Watt

Joint king.

694

Wihtred succeeds in freeing Kent
of all foreign usurpers and vassals, and agrees with Ine of the
West
Seaxe on the borders of Kent,
Suthrige
and the Suth Seaxe
(which confirms the Kentish loss of Surrey, along with the disputed
Jutish Hæstingas territory in Sussex, with only the Isle of Oxney remaining in Kent). Together,
the West Seaxe and Kent hold the line against
Mercia in this period,
limiting its ability to interfere south of the Thames.

Sussex
is subjugated by Offa of Mercia
and is made a dependency. The Hæstingas are the last to be conquered, in 771.
Offa appoints sub-kings to govern in his name, little more than puppets (who
may still be relatives of the previous kings, albeit demoted ones).

The kingdom may be ruled directly from Mercia,
although this is unclear.

825

Ecgberht of Wessex defeats
the mighty Mercians
at the Battle of Ellandon. The sub-kingdoms of
Essex, Sussex and
Suthrige submit to him, and
Sussex is ruled by his son, Æthulwulf, who is based in
Kent. Sussex soon becomes little
more than a province of Wessex, and then of England.